The spirit of radical inclusion in the Pentecost story From Acts chapter two on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

Hello good people.

Thank you for joining me here on Daily Bible Refresh.

This is your opportunity to get into the daily reading of the New Testament, specifically from the Revised Common Lectionary, the selected verse for this very day, which happens to be Pentecost Sunday in Year C of the Lectionary.

We take the Bible and we make it understandable by using the Message version.

We make it relatable by giving you some points to ponder and applicable by giving you an action step to follow.

We do all that in another 10 minutes or so.

It's all brought to you by voiceofgoddaily.com that's the home of our Daily Bible Study reference resource, which is called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible study method.

Let's get into today's reading today from Acts chapter 2, verses 1 through 21.

This is the Pentecost reading from the Message A Sound Like a Strong Wind when the feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place without warning.

There was a sound like a strong wind, a gale force.

No one could tell where it came from.

It filled the entire building.

Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

There were many Jews staying in Jerusalem just then, devout pilgrims from all over the world.

When they heard the sound, they came out on the run.

And when they heard one after another, their own mother tongues being spoken, they were blown away.

They couldn't for the life of them figure out what was going on and kept saying, aren't these all Galileans?

How come we're hearing them talk in our own various mother tongues?

Parthians, Mendes, Lamanites, visitors from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontiac and Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylla, Egypt, and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene.

Immigrants from Rome, both Jews and Proselytes, even Cretans and Arabs.

They're speaking our languages, describing God's mighty works.

Their heads were spitting.

They couldn't make head or tail out of it.

They talked back and forth, confused what's going on here?

Others joked, they're drunk on cheap wine.

Peter speaks up.

That's when Peter stood up and, backed by the other 11, spoke out with bold urgency.

Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get the story straight.

These people aren't drunk, as some of you suspect.

They haven't had time to get drunk.

It's only nine o'clock in the morning and this is what the prophet Joel announced would happen in the last days.

God says, I will pour out my spirit on every kind of people.

Your sons will prophesy and your daughters and your young men will see visions and your old men dream dreams.

When the time comes, I'll pour out my spirit on those who serve me, men and women both, and they'll all prophesy.

And I'll set wonders on the sky above as signs on the earth below.

Blood and fire and bellowing smoke, the sun turned black and the moon blood red before the day of the Lord arrives, the day tremendous and marvelous and whoever calls out for help to me, God will be saved.

Wow, what an incredible passage of Scripture from Acts, Chapter two, the story of Pentecost that's really the birthday of the church, if you will.

It's a story about radical inclusion, and this shows us how the Spirit breaks down down barriers and challenges any assumptions we might have about who belongs in God's community.

Here are some points to ponder.

One is divine disruption.

The Spirit arrives unexpectedly and dramatically, disrupting the status quo.

This teaches us that God often works through holy disruption, challenging our comfortable routines and pushing us beyond our established boundaries.

The wind and fire imagery reminds us that transformation can be both powerful and unsettling.

The second is the language of liberation.

The miracle of Pentecost wasn't that everyone suddenly spoke the same language, but that each person heard the message in their own tongue.

This radical act of inclusion shows that God honors cultural diversity rather than demanding assimilation.

The divine meets people where they are validating their identities and experiences.

The third is about a community over conformity.

Some observers mockingly dismiss the Spirit filled believers as drunk.

This reminds us that when communities embrace radical inclusion and challenge social norms, they often face criticism and ridicule.

Yet Peter's bold response teaches us to stand firm in our commitment to build inclusive spaces and even when others misunderstand.

Here's your action step.

Choose one way you can make your community more inclusive this week.

This might mean learning to pronounce someone's name correctly, or advocating for accessible spaces, or amplifying voices that often go unheard.

Small acts of inclusion can create ripples of transformation.

I want to come back in just a moment with a closing prayer, but I did want you to know that we have a Bible study resource for you.

It's called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Method.

It will help you with your daily Bible study, which you use here in coordination with the Daily Bible Refresh.

You can get it at our website, voiceofgoddaily.com let's pray.

O divine spirit of love, disturb our comfort and shake our uncertainties.

Help us to hear voices different from our own and give us courage to build communities where all languages, identities and experiences are honored.

Make us brave enough to look foolish for the sake of love and wise enough to recognize your presence in unexpected people and places.

Guide us in creating spaces where everyone can hear the good news in their own language and context.

Amen.

Well, it's always good to be with you here at Daily Bible Refresh.

My name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

Hey, let's celebrate Pentecost together, the birthday of the church.

One of the best things you can do is join me here every day here, the Daily Bible Refresh, where we delve into the scriptures on a personal matter.

Until next time, good people.

My name is Dr.

Brad Miller, and we'll remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up.

It's created new every morning.

Sam.